North Kingstown Town Council Meeting Summary – January 9, 2023

The North Kingstown Town Council met Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, in Town Hall Council Chambers at 80 Boston Neck Road. After an executive session, the council voted to seal the executive session minutes and convened the regular meeting. The council held public hearings, approved a substantial consent agenda, heard from one public commenter, received the town manager's report, made appointments, authorized a golf course restaurant concession agreement, and discussed short-term rental regulation and recreational marijuana next steps.

Public Hearings

• Wickford Oyster Bar license renewal (Item 5): No one signed up to testify on the Class B-Full alcoholic beverage license and victualling license renewal for Wickford Diner LLC, dba Wickford Oyster Bar, 95 Brown Street. Council President Gregory Mancini said a constituent had raised a question about the licensee's operating hours; the applicant was not present. The council voted to continue the matter to Jan. 23, 2023, withdrawing the earlier motion to close the hearing so a new public hearing can be held.
• Beach parking permit fees (Item 6): After a second-reading public hearing with no testimony, the council approved the amendment to Section 9-4, Recreation Department fee schedule for beach parking permits. Planning staff confirmed replacement parking stickers would cost the same as original stickers, and council members supported that approach to prevent misuse.
• No parking/limited parking on Newcomb Road (Item 7): After a second-reading public hearing with no testimony, the council approved the amendment to Section 11-37 for no parking or limited parking on Newcomb Road.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brett Mallory, a North Kingstown resident, urged the council to stand up the Wickford Veterans Committee listed on the town website. He said one committee seat remained open, a current member had served five years without clear responsibilities, and the principal member was leaving at the end of the school year. He noted he had submitted a resume in July and had not received traction. The town clerk indicated the committee would be re-advertised, with appointments planned at the second February meeting.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved items 9–12 and 14–20 in one motion: minutes of Dec. 19, 2022; Tax Abatement List #866 totaling $488.65; a $525 donation; a $150 donation for the North Kingstown Animal Shelter; award of the Water Department Well 10 Pump Station Modifications Phase 1 bid to Martone Service Company, Inc. for $345,677; golf course sweeper purchase from A-OK Turf Equipment, Inc. for $48,000; 2016 Kubota L5060 tractor purchase from A-OK Turf Equipment, Inc. for $29,900; Friends of Beechwood Spring Bazaar exhibition license renewal for April 21–22, 2023; detective license renewal for Martin Hyman; Planet Fitness holiday sales license change of location from 40 Frenchtown Road to 56 Frenchtown Road; and victualling license renewals.
• Item 13 — Loring painting/print donation: Councilman Lawrence Mandel removed this item for discussion. Town Manager Ralph Mollis said the print was donated by the daughter of former council member Robin Porter and would be displayed at Town Hall; the council approved the donation.

Town Manager's Report

• Ralph Mollis reported that the town had been granted an extension to Jan. 16, 2023, to file the fiscal year 2022 audit.
• The 2022 Winter Wonderland decoration grant program had 17 participating businesses and was projected to award over $11,200 in grants.
• Weight restriction signs on the Hussey and Brown Street bridges were removed after RIDOT reanalyzed the bridge ratings following repairs and determined the restrictions were no longer needed.
• The town would participate in a Rhode Island League housing workshop with the Housing Secretary and would attend the governor's State of the State address.
• The land conservancy's 355-acre open space easement on the Cruikshank property was approved; the town will pursue purchasing the property with DEM funds.
• A federal earmark announcement for the Post Road/West Main Street Sidewalk Project was scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. in the plaza at 7726 Post Road, with Senator Jack Reed and DOT Director Peter Alviti expected.
• The finance department and a local bank intercepted a $202,000 check fraud scam and recovered the full amount; the North Kingstown Police Department is involved, and the town is changing how large vendor checks are processed.

Appointments

• Asset Management Commission (Item 22): The council appointed Lisa Bowe, recommended by the School Committee, to fill the unexpired term of James Grundy through July 1, 2023.
• Economic Development Advisory Board (Item 23): The council approved appointments to the Economic Development Advisory Board. The agenda lists one full member, one first alternate, and one second alternate, while the transcript references two vacancies, making the exact allocation unclear; Betsy de Leiris and Kenneth Spicer were both appointed. Councilmember Katherine Anderson praised the candidates and noted housing is a defining issue for the community.

Golf Course Restaurant Concession Agreement (Item 24)

• The council authorized the Town Manager to execute a concession agreement for the North Kingstown Municipal Golf Course restaurant. Town Manager Mollis said the current restaurateur was leaving after five years, an open RFQ process was held, and a five-member committee negotiated with Charlene Hopkins of Runway 41 Bar & Grill in Warwick. The council approved the agreement, and Hopkins will return for the liquor license on Feb. 6.

Short-Term Rental Discussion (Item 25)

• Planning staff presented options for regulating short-term rentals, noting Rhode Island defines them as dwellings or accessory buildings rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. DBR registration began in January 2023, and North Kingstown had 54 registered short-term rental units. Staff said the state DBR registry has a $50 fee for a two-year registration.
• By comparison, Narragansett had about 499 registered units with DBR and is working on an ordinance with a seven-day minimum stay; South Kingstown had 252 registered units; Jamestown had 87 registered units and adopted an ordinance in August 2022 with inspections, seven-day minimum stays, and fees of $250 for resident-owned units and $700 per unit for others; East Greenwich had 7 registered units and no local restrictions.
• A third-party data review cited by staff showed 86 short-term rental offerings in North Kingstown, about 92 nights booked, roughly $360 per night, and average income of about $21,000. Staff outlined options ranging from no local action, a municipal registry, zoning amendments with occupancy requirements or special use permits, to prohibition. Existing short-term rentals could be grandfathered under zoning changes.
• Staff said they leaned toward a municipal registry, but council direction was needed before drafting ordinances. Council members requested additional research on fee structures, staffing and inspection implications, police complaint correlations, peer community experiences, potential economic impacts, and houseboat issues. No formal motion was made on this item.

Recreational Marijuana Discussion (Item 26)

• Planning staff outlined next steps after North Kingstown voters approved allowing recreational cannabis licenses. The new state Cannabis Control Commission will issue licenses; the zone including North Kingstown, Warwick, and Cranston has four available licenses, with East Greenwich having banned recreational marijuana. One license must go to a workers' cooperative and one to a social equity applicant.
• Staff said the town will need to address both public use ordinances and zoning and land use rules for retail locations. Council members discussed tax revenue, edible cannabis safety, odor and public nuisance concerns, and the need to proceed thoughtfully and expeditiously so North Kingstown does not miss out on licenses or revenue. No vote was taken.

Correspondence (Item 27)

• Councilman Matthew McCoy reported correspondence since Dec. 19, 2022: emails from Diane Izzo, Zachary Mongu about Route 4 traffic lights, James Rum about naloxone equipment for police and fire, Audrey Rodriguez about planning commission decisions on the Pinewood development, and an invitation from Larry Veria to North Kingstown High School's Dialogues and Democracy event on Jan. 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Councilman Mandel held office hours Jan. 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. and spoke with three people. Routine correspondence was received from the Narrow River Preservation Association, North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, South County Tourism Council, and Wickford Art Association.

Key Outcomes

• Continued the Wickford Oyster Bar license renewal to Jan. 23, 2023.
• Approved the beach parking permit fee schedule and the Newcomb Road no-parking/limited-parking amendments.
• Approved the consent agenda items, with item 13 approved separately.
• Appointed Lisa Bowe to the Asset Management Commission and approved Economic Development Advisory Board appointments.
• Authorized the Town Manager to execute the golf course restaurant concession agreement.
• Directed planning staff to continue researching short-term rental regulation and return with more detailed options.
• Took no vote on marijuana policy but set expectations for separate public-use and zoning ordinances to come before the council.